So the clock in my shop died … or did it just need new batteries?!? Who cares, I made a new shop clock! I took the thin outer pieces of the 100+ year old oak I broke down a couple of months ago and made an asymmetrical, modern, rustic, eclectic, colorful, something-or-other clock. At least …read in detail

There is a saying in my line of work that one of the problems is that sophomores think they know everything. They’ve been there a year, so they’ve experienced it, but they haven’t had the responsibility yet to know when they are wrong. I think anyone who has taken the opportunity to put their work …read in detail

It‘s the Christmas Season, I saw that I am close to 8,000 subscribers (officially 7,842 as of Dec. 23rd at 10:25pm), and I am in the giving mood! And what do I have to give away … well I have been collecting some vintage woodworking books and my mother always taught me to share. So I’m …read in detail

It seems that I have started to produce content a little more consistently over the last month or so. I’ve also started a multi-part build that I’m very excited to share with you … a beautiful teardrop trailer. Come to the website and check out the first two parts and the back story for the …read in detail

I have been wanting to do a knife for a while. About a year ago I decided on a design, nine months ago I gathered most of the supplies, in the spring John Zhu gave me the wood for the scales, in June I started working on it, and now at the end of October …read in detail

A little less than a year ago, a friend of mine told me about some 12/4 oak that was going to be hauled out to the dumpster. There were several pieces that were bolted together as part of a delivery of construction material being used in a renovation project. Shortly after bringing it to the …read in detail

“The history of storytelling isn’t one of simply entertaining the masses but of also advising, instructing, challenging the status quo.” —Therese Fowler As a trained historian I am supposed to be used to telling stories, or at least interpretations of the evidence in a logical yet pleasing narrative. I must admit however that I have been …read in detail

After you come to grips with the fact that monks do watch television … While at the abbey for a little vacation, the abbot asked if I would build a new electronics cabinet for the monastery. Since he is the one that pays the bills, it was one of those “offers you cannot refuse.” I …read in detail

“For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” – Luke 8:17 It was bound to happen one of these days, but I was finally caught at Harbor Freight. And so, “My name is Fr. Thomas, and I am an Harbor Freight …read in detail

The N.E.S.T. series was conceived in my acronym phase, which the doctor says I will grow out of in a few more years if not later. But anyway, it stands for Non-Earth Shattering Tips. They typically come about when I am in the middle of a project and there is a little tip or trick …read in detail